I was diagnosed with ADHD going into middle school (6th grade). Neither my parents or my teachers were surprised by this discovery, but for me, I thought my whole world would be flipped upside down.
The first thing my Neuropsychologist told me was that even with the medications they were going to be putting me on, I was going to have to work harder to make myself pay attention in class. He also told me that my diet and level of physical activity was going to have to change as well. (Fun fact: My roommates dad turned out to be my neuropsychologist, which was a surprise and super awkward on move-in day)
Studies show that food high in protein may have beneficial effects on those with ADHD. The article that I am referring to explains that stopping blood sugar spikes helps those with ADHD handle their symptoms. Personally, this point is incredibly true. When I am hungry, I get incredibly fidgety and angry. I always have to make sure that I eat some type of protein with every meal. You should see the fridge in my dorm- always packed full of ham and turkey.
Because the drug I take controls my ADHD, being a central nervous system stimulant, the energy that is being subdued all day usually hits me once the pill wears off. Working out after this happens, even if its just going for a light jog, helps improve my behavior as well as helps me work off the extra bit of energy that is still stuck in my system. Because of this, I have almost always played a sport after school. In high school it was soccer, lacrosse, swimming, skiing, and golf. In college, I play golf, which doesn’t always get the effects I need, so going to the gym or for a run helps me achieve that.
While I like to think that I am a good multi-tasker- the sad truth is that I am not. Even if I think that I can do an essay while having Netflix open is impossible. I blame a lot of inability on my ADHD.
The truth is, ADHD hasn’t stopped me from doing anything I couldn’t before, even though I thought that it was going to. If anything, it has pushed me to work that much harder in everything I do.
Pic from google!
I also take ADHD medicine and it affects me very similarly. I never knew that protein can help with the annoying side affects from the medicine. Only thing different is that when I’m working out on my medicine I push myself very hard, but when I am not on it I find it difficult to get the motivation to work out. hopefully i can use what you have said about protein to my advantage. Very helpful blog and it gives me a good idea about what to write about.
I too take ADHD medicine so it was nice to read this blog and see the research you provided. I found it interesting that when the drug wears off you get energized to do something. That is the complete opposite with me. During the days that I take the medicine I find that I am always more alert. I also feel as though I have the best workouts at the gym when I am on the adhd pill. Days when I don’t use the medicine I feel as though I have to push myself harder to have a better workout. Maybe it has to do with peoples genetics and the way we are wired. But maybe there is science behind why this happens to me. And I might have just found out what my next blog topic will be! Thanks for the read I enjoyed it.